Johannesburg - An intended hijack victim recognised two men who were shot on Thursday while trying to steal a vehicle in Midrand, as those who had tried to snatch his car three weeks ago.

A member of the public shot and killed one attacker and seriously injured his accomplice when they tried to hijack a luxury BMW in Old Pretoria Road at about 10:00 on Thursday.

The man did not want his identity disclosed.

According to Superintendent Eugene Opperman, the man had acted in self defence after the armed attackers opened fire on him.

"He returned fire with his own licensed firearm, killing the one suspect, while the other one was seriously wounded in the exchange," said Opperman.

Recognised body-bag man

Doug McGibbon, 46, heard about the shooting and went to Old Pretoria Road because he suspected the two robbers might be the ones who tried to hijack his BMW at his home on November 22.

McGibbon told Beeld newspaper: "I explained the situation to the guys and, when I looked in the body bag, it was the same man who had pointed his firearm at me three weeks before."

He said the man who was seriously wounded in Thursday's gun battle, had been the accomplice three weeks previously.

McGibbon said: "I recall it clearly. They jumped out of a white VW Polo while I was waiting for the security gate to close behind me when we arrived home that afternoon."

His wife, her sister and his brother-in-law, who were on a visit from Britain, were in the car with him.

"The one (who was shot dead on Thursday) lifted up his shirt and pulled a 9mm pistol from his pants. His hand was shaking and I just hoped he wouldn't pull the trigger by mistake. We stared into each other's eyes."

The other hijacker jumped into the BMW, but they couldn't get away because the security gate, which they had derailed earlier, was blocking their way out.

McGibbon said his wife, who had fallen flat next to the swimming pool, started screaming for help.

"I looked back over my shoulder and told her everything was OK and she should be quiet, when the hijackers suddenly jumped into their car and sped off. A friend chased them, but they got away.

Congratulations for 'crack shooting'

McGibbon added: "I congratulated the guy who got them on Thursday, for his crack shooting."

Opperman said the wounded man was being treated in hospital under police guard.

Police were investigating a case of armed robbery and attempted murder after Thursday's shooting.

A police reservist, Captain Marc Ishlove, shot and killed two hijackers who were trying to steal a luxury Porsche at Fir Drive Centre in Northcliff last month.

Pretoria - Two robbers on Wednesday terrorised residents in East Lynne, breaking into three homes in three hours and shooting four people.

They also nearly raped a woman. She was apparently saved by a friend, who was shot in the leg.

The two robbers, who caused panic in Hans Dons Drive, Swan Street and StormvoŽl Drive, are still at large. The names of their victims have not yet been released.

The car of a 22-year-old woman, hijacked in the last incident, was found without wheels in a maize field near Marble Hall in Limpopo.

Inspector Klaas van der Kooi, a spokesperson for Villieria police station, said the night's robbery orgy started shortly after 20:00, when robbers hit on a house in Swan Street.

The owner of the house heard dogs barking and investigated. He was shot without warning.

The man's son-in-law went to investigate and was also shot. The father was taken to Pretoria Academic Hospital, and the son-in-law to Montana Hospital. Other family members who were inside the house weren't injured. Van der Kooi said the robbers entered the house, but left with only a cellphone.

They then went to a house in StormvoŽl Drive, where they overpowered a woman in the yard. One of the robbers forced her to undress, upon which he also removed all his clothes.

She screamed and her friend turned up just as the robber was about to rape her. Robbers wounded him in the leg before fleeing. He was admitted to Kalafong Hospital.

In the third incident, the robbers targeted a 22-year-old woman who was parking her car at her home in Hans Dons Drive.

Gert Otto, a neighbour, noticed two men running down the street. "One of them had a firearm and fired three shots into the passenger side of the car."

Initially their shots missed the woman, but the robbers then pulled her from the vehicle and shot her several times before fleeing in the car.

The woman was admitted to Pretoria Academic Hospital in a critical condition.

According to Otto this was the third time shots were fired near his house this year.

Hartbeespoort - Josina Fourie, 81, grabbed a club and laid into two knife-wielding attackers who stabbed her and her husband in an early-morning attack.

The couple's six dogs joined in as well, but not before Josina was stabbed five times in the chest and head and husband Isak, 84, was knifed seven times in the back. Both his lungs were perforated.

Josina said: "I decided I wouldn't allow murderers to snuff out our lives just like that. I would fight to the death."

They're both in a stable condition in Brits Medi-Clinic.

The Fouries, who moved to Hartbeespoort from KwaZulu-Natal just three weeks ago, were attacked at their Ifafa flat shortly after 06:00 on Wednesday by a painter who had been working for them for three weeks, and his accomplice.

Josina said: "We suspected nothing and were still in bed when the painter arrived at our house.

Sangoma's orders

"My husband went to unlock the door so that the six dogs could go out, and the painter could get his equipment out of the house.

"The painter pushed Isak out of the way and stormed to our bedroom. A second man suddenly appeared and grabbed my husband," said Josina.

"When I asked the painter what he was doing, he said a sangoma had ordered him to kill us to drive the evil out of his body.

The two men repeatedly stabbed the couple and while Isak wrestled with one, Josina managed to get a club next to their bed, and laid into her attacker.

"I just decided I won't surrender as long as I was alive. I wouldn't allow them to take my life, and my husband's."

While she defended herself with the club, their six dogs also joined in and tackled the knifemen.

"The painter was jumping around between the biting dogs. Even my oldest dog, with a heart problem and just one tooth, joined in the fray."

The two men grabbed cellphones and cash and fled.

"The painter's parting words to me were that he'd return to kill us."

Josina crawled to the phone and called police, her son and their neighbour. Police and paramedics were at the house within minutes.

"I never knew she was so strong," joked a weak Isak from the hospital bed next to hers.

Celebrating 59th anniversary

"She climbed in tooth and nail. She quite scared me. She and the dogs saved our lives."

Josina said she wanted their nightmare experience to serve as a warning to all elderly people.

"Don't trust anyone and keep a few dogs around your home. They helped to save our lives. The painter had done some work for my son, previously."

Josina and Isak were celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary side-by-side in their hospital beds on Friday.

Durban - Helicopters, horse patrols, CCTV and police reservists have been roped in to ensure that security in Durban is at a peak during the festive season, police said on Thursday.

Durban Central commander, Commissioner Bala Naidoo told a news briefing that detectives and administrative staff will also be walking the beat to ensure high visibility during the festive season.

He said 12 policemen on horses and 12 policemen on motorcycles would also be deployed in the city centre and beach areas to ensure a rapid response.

An additional 10 people had been trained to monitor the CCTV cameras that are placed at strategic points in the city.

The city's courts will be open on December 17 and December 26 to allow police to speedily prosecute offenders.

Multiple roadblock and searches

Also speaking at the news briefing, Director Aaron Harry said there would be "multiple roadblock and searches".

He said: "The public is going to sometimes feel inconvenienced, but this will be necessary to ensure security".

At least 90 police reservists had been deployed and more would be deployed in the coming days.

Drunken and disorderly behaviour will be targeted as well as those people who dare to drink in public. Some of Durban's known spots for public drinking, such as XL's near South Beach, will receive attention from police.

Naidoo said there was "a disturbing trend" towards more drinking in public.

"Drinking in public leads to scuffles and the next thing there is a case of assault."

Naidoo also urged people not to break bottles which could lead to children being injured.

Naidoo said that during the year, since he had taken command at Durban Central, there had been a steady decrease in contact crimes, especially in the city centre.

"What we have been doing is deploying more people and having a high visibility in the city centre."

Report even small incidents

However, he urged people to report incidents, no matter how small.

"If they do not report even the small incidents, then we may have the wrong priorities and the wrong target areas. If they (the public) don't report the cases then we don't know what the problems are."

He said that the South African Air Force had also been brought in to assist the police with helicopters during the festive season.

The police would also be working in conjunction with the eThekwini Metro Police, the KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate as well as private security firms.

Durban's beach area would be closed off to all vehicles apart from residents and hotel guests leaving the city's famed Golden Mile free for pedestrians.

Children tagged

Children entering the beach front area will automatically receive a tag with their parents' phone numbers, so that in the event they become separated police will be able to contact their parents.

Harry said that a joint operations committee would meet every day to thrash out problems during the festive season.

He said: "We really want this to be a safe festive season. Don't spoil it for yourself and for others."

Naidoo also urged those who were members of Stockvels to ask the banks for cheques rather than carry large sums of money around.

He also warned people, especially the vulnerable and the elderly, against being caught by scam artists who would rob people through the threat of black magic and other devious means.

NELSON Mandela Bay has been rocked by a pre-Christmas crime spree, with seven armed robberies reported at businesses across the metropole in the past 48 hours.

A man was also shot in the head in an attempted hijacking early yesterday morning, which brought traffic to a standstill in Burt Drive, Newton Park.

Police spokesman Captain Johan Rheeder warned businesses to be extra vigilant after five armed robberies were reported in Port Elizabeth and two in Uitenhage.

“We are urging businesses to keep their doors closed when dealing with morning cash floats or evening cash-ups as this is the main time when these criminals strike.”

Rheeder also urged businesses not to keep large sums of money on the premises and to step up security over the festive season.

“We are also asking people not to wear flashy jewellery or carry wallets and cellphones in the open.

“When using the ATM or bank, also be cautious as criminals are known to watch these and target people who make large withdrawals.”

He said four armed robberies had been reported on Wednesday.

“The first was recorded at The Food Market Cafe in Brampton Avenue, Rowallan Park.

The second robbery was at Topline auto body repairs in Commercial Road, Sidwell, when two armed men made off with R4 000 at about 6.50am. No shots were fired.

In the third, half an hour later, two elderly owners of the China Shop bric-a-brac store in Cotterell Street, Korsten, were attacked by three armed men who fled in a white Opel Corsa with cellphones and about R1 000.

On Wednesday at about 7.30pm, the Bluewater Bay QuickSpar was robbed by between four and six gunmen who made off with an undisclosed sum.

Nicky Willemse, a Weekend Post reporter, was caught up in the robbery after her husband stopped at the store to ask for directions.

Willemse, who is eight months pregnant, said a man at the entrance drew a gun and started pushing her inside, demanding her cellphone and grabbing her handbag.

“Just then, three men came out of the store, carrying stolen goods, including computers,” she said.

Willemse said people inside the store waited for about 10 minutes before going outside, for fear that the gang might return.

Rheeder said another brazen robbery took place yesterday at Accurate Machining engineering firm in Deal Party just before 7am.

“The owner was approached by three men pretending to be looking for work. When he told them there weren‘t any vacancies, they attacked him, drew a gun and demanded money.”

Rheeder said the man‘s brother, who was armed, arrived but was unable to do anything as the men had a gun to his sibling‘s head.

“The men made off with the company‘s wages, worth over R50 000, as well as the brother‘s gun and other personal items,” he said.

Uitenhage police spokesman Superintendent Priscilla Naidu said a businessman was held up at gunpoint in his clothing store in Market Street, Uitenhage, on Wednesday morning by three men posing as customers.

Naidu said the man had opened his store at 8am when three men entered and pointed guns at his head. He was forced to hand over all the money in his till – about R16 000 – before being locked in an office.

A woman had also been robbed at gunpoint on Wednesday night when she stopped at a robot on the R333 between Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth.

Police later recovered her bag and jewellery, but no money had been found.

THE co-owner of Port Elizabeth firm All Tool Engineering Services, Per-Olov Vickius, was shot during morning rush hour traffic in Newton Park just minutes after dropping off his twoyear-old son at a daycare centre yesterday.

Police spokesman Captain Johan Rheeder said Vickius, who is in a stable condition in hospital, was shot in the face during an attempted hijacking on the corner of Burt Drive and 6th Avenue in Newton Park shortly after 7am yesterday.

The shooting incident has shocked the suburb.

Swedish-born Vickius, 66, was waiting at the intersection when he was confronted by two armed men who wanted to hijack his car, shortly after dropping off his son Nathan at a nearby school. The men fired three shots, one shattering the driver‘s side window.

His wife Sihaam, to whom he has been married for five years, said she received a call from her husband‘s cellphone by a woman asking her if she knew who it belonged to.

“The woman phoned the last number my husband called,” she said.

“She said she was calling from the scene of a shooting incident and that someone had been shot.”

After Vickius was shot, he lost control of his car, which crashed into the boundary wall of a townhouse complex.

His wife said Vickius was in a stable condition in the intensive care unit at Greenacres Hospital. The bullet had entered the right ear and exited though his mouth, fracturing his cheekbone.

Sihaam said the first thing her “sweet and gentle” husband had said on regaining consciousness was to ask after his little son. “I am still in shock over what has happened,” she said. “A few months ago, my daughter was involved in an accident in Helenvale.

“I‘m still battling to cope with that tragedy and something like this happens.”

Rheeder said police had opened hijacking and attempted murder dockets.